Amazon Sumerian launches for VR and AR developers

Amazon Sumerian is a new service that makes it easy for any developer to build Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and 3D applications, and run them on mobile devices, head-mounted displays, digital signage, or web browsers.

With Amazon Sumerian’s editor, developers can build realistic virtual environments, populate them with 3D objects and animated characters, and script how they interact with each other and the application’s users. VR and AR apps created in Amazon Sumerian will run in any browser that supports WebGL or WebVR graphics rendering, including Daydream, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, and iOS mobile devices.

Getting started with Amazon Sumerian is as simple as logging into the AWS Management Console. There is no software to install or upfront costs—customers pay only for the storage used for 3D assets and the volume of traffic generated to access the virtual scenes they create.

Marco Argenti, Vice President, Technology at Amazon Web Services said: “Customers across industries see the potential of VR and AR technologies for a wide range of uses—from educating and training employees to creating new customer experiences. But, customers are daunted and overwhelmed by the up-front investment in specialized skills and tools required to even get started building a VR or AR application. With Amazon Sumerian, it is now possible for any developer to create a realistic, interactive VR or AR application in a few hours.”

It would be interesting to see what this new service will develop into now that it’s open to developers all over. It’s easy to imagine that you will be able to see goods like a sofa in situ in your living room and maybe even then reorganise the rest of the room in a virtual world to get a sense of whether it works.